Ornithocheirus
Ornithocheirus was a huge pterosaur from the early Cretaceous period of Europe and South America (145,000,000-95,000,000 BC). several large bone fragments from the Santana Formation of Brazil indicate that Ornithocheirus ''may have been one of the largest pterosaurs that ever lived, with a wingspan reaching almost 6-8 metres from wingtip to wingtip. With a body bigger than humans, it was the undisputed 'King of the Skies.' ''Ornithocheirus ''was featured in the 4th episode of '''Walking with Dinosaurs', where the program followed an aging male during his last mating flight. In that episode, this pterosaur (and some others) were shown holding group leks, just like some modern birds, and possessing similarly bird-like sexual dimorphism: in particular, males had a crest at the tip of the snout which was used for display during mating and - to a lesser extent - for competion between males. Outside of mating, Ornithocheirus ''was apparently a lone pterosaur, the members of that species avoiding each other, preferring the company of other, smaller pterosaurs, whom they would probably occassionally harass to steal their catch. Facts ''Ornithocheirus could live a lifespan of over forty years and most of their lives was spent wondering the globe in search of food. When it was time to find a mate though, they could fly to the other side of the world, yet would often be grounded by heavy tropical storms, and the fine bowny fur on their bodies needed to be kept dry. They would busy themselves with grooming: they were often plagued by biting parasites that tapped into blood vessels on their wing membranes. If males were to find mates, they had to be in prime condition, they had to keep the parasites in check. Like all giant pterosaurs, Ornithocheirus ''could use their enormous wings to ride on the warm air currents that rose over land. Their entire bodies weighted less than 75 kilograms and this helped them glide effortlessly over huge distances. Male ''Ornithicheirus ''advertised their vigor and size to ward of rival males…and to attract females out of the air. Males also flashed their red crests to impress females. Mating itself however was brief. Afterwards, the males would resume displaying…in hopes of attracting more females. The mated females, however, would leave. ''Ornithocheirus ''also had a cameo appearance in the first episode of '''Chased by Dinosaurs', "Land of Giants". In that episode Nigel Marven identified this flying reptile as the biggest pterosaur ever, but that is incorrect, Quetzalcoatlus, Hatzegopteryx ''and ''Pteranodon ''were bigger. Merchandise A toy of ''Ornithocheirus was made by Toyway for their Walking with Dinosaurs line. It is the rarest of the line as it was never commercially released, and could only be obtained in a giveaway. Which makes it valuable to collectors. Appearances *Walking with Dinosaurs **New Blood (Prologue) **Giant of the Skies *Prehistoric Planet *Chased by Dinosaurs **Land of Giants Category:Walking with Dinosaurs Animals Category:Chased by Dinosaurs Animals Category:Carnivores Category:Walking with Wikia Category:Giant of the Skies animals Category:Land of Giants (CBD) animals Category:Walking With Dinosaurs book animals Category:Mesozoic animals Category:Cretaceous Animals Category:Animals from South America Category:Animals from Brazil Category:Animals Category:Vertebrates Category:Chordates Category:Sauropsids Category:Pterosaurs Category:Pterodactyloids Category:Flying reptiles Category:Quadrupedal animals Category:Solitary animals